


of all the plans that came undone

by daisy_chains



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s02e12 The Fires of Idirsholas, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence, need to know the episode to understand the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 10:53:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16491179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daisy_chains/pseuds/daisy_chains
Summary: Morgause believes possessing magic will slow the effects of the sleeping spell. She is wrong; it does the opposite.





	of all the plans that came undone

**Author's Note:**

> ~~I just spent three hours trying to figure out what to title this rip me~~
> 
> " _There is an answer in a question_  
>  _And there is hope within despair_  
>  _And there is beauty in a failure,_  
>  _And there are depths beyond compare_  
>  _There is a role of a lifetime_  
>  _And there's a song yet to be sung_  
>  _And there's a dumpster in the driveway_  
>  _ **Of all the plans that came undone**_ "
> 
> Black Sun by Death Cab for Cutie

When Morgause casts the sleeping spell, she assumes her magic will keep her safe for long enough to achieve her goal, and if not that, then the fact that she is the caster will. Morgause, for all her knowledge of magic, is wrong. Magic doesn’t slow the effects of the sleeping spell - it speeds them up.

She doesn’t know that yet, not when she’s yet to reach the castle with the knights she has awoken. Merlin, on the other hand, learns of the crippling fatigue that overcomes him the instant he’s within the walls of Camelot. 

Arthur assumes Merlin is succumbing to the spell quicker than himself because of Merlin’s lack of physical strength. Arthur, too, is wrong. Merlin is the strongest of them all.

Still, the prince assumes Merlin will be fine enough to retrieve a set of clothes for the king, assumes Merlin’s luck of getting out of trouble mostly unscathed will hold true. Morgana assumes much the same. (Will they never learn?)

Merlin’s “luck” is very rarely luck, and the warlock’s main advantage has become the tool for his downfall. So when he goes to fetch Uther a disguise of servant’s clothing, he isn’t prepared. To defend himself, to fight back, to escape unscathed. The Knights of Medhir have the advantage.

He dodges, because of course he does, that’s the one thing he excels at (besides magic, of course, but no one can know about the magic), but it isn’t fast enough, isn’t far enough to be out of reach of the ice-cold steel of the undead knights. Still, he stumbles away, pressing his hand against where sword met skin as his magic lashes out instinctively. It gives the warlock enough time to escape back to the room Arthur and Morgana are hiding in. 

When Merlin bursts through the door, Arthur and Morgana expect it to be with clothing, maybe some random items he picked up on the way (it’s _Merlin_ , after all). What Morgana and Arthur do not expect is for Merlin to rush in and shut the door… then just stand there, forehead pressed to the door, heaving breaths as his body trembles.

“Merlin?” Arthur calls, alarm clear in his voice. Now is not the time to waste on masking one’s emotions. At first, Merlin doesn’t respond, but slowly, ever so slowly, he turns around, one arm hugging his stomach 

No one speaks. Morgana and Arthur out of horror of the blood staining the servant’s front and Merlin out of lack of breath. Then, Merlin clears his throat and licks his lips, eyes darting over to the king’s unconscious form.

“Sorry,” he says quietly, “couldn’t find any clothes.”

And as if those simple words push the others into motion, Morgana’s there, followed closely by Arthur, guiding Merlin’s failing body to the floor.

It’s a fruitless effort, putting pressure on the wound, telling Merlin it’ll be alright even as the sleeping spell takes advantage of his weakness to set its hooks in further. Still, the warlock resists and reaches out, speaking to Morgana as Mordred had once upon a time.

‘ _Morgana_ ,’ he says, ignoring her startled jump and hurt stare, ‘ _beneath the castle, beneath the dungeons, there’s a being who can help. You have to go to him, please, it’s Camelot’s only hope._ ’

Despite her hurt, despite her fear, she nods and tightens her hold on Merlin’s hand. Arthur, oblivious to the silent exchange, doesn’t put up much protest when Morgana takes up a sword and tells him to stay with Merlin, leaving to find _something_ to save them all. 

Elsewhere in the castle, Morgause’s spell backfires as she, too, succumbs to the magic. 

The knights no longer have a commander, but they do have the commands from their awakening: kill anyone who is awake, but do not harm the source of the spell. So when they find the sleeping prince of Camelot crumpled beside the fading servant, they move on. 

Merlin fades and returns, the Fates not yet done with him, not yet ready to let him go. He returns and lies beside the prince as he fades again (and again and again). It just wouldn’t do for him to die without fulfilling his destiny, now would it?

Beneath the castle, Morgana is confronted with a being ( _being_ , Merlin? Could have mentioned it’s a _dragon_!) that loathes her and demands an impossible price for his help. Still, she swears on her sister’s life and she hears the condemning words.

“ _You are the source of the spell_.”

Morgana flees to Gaius’ chambers and she downs the first poison she can find (hemlock, because sometimes a detail is fixed in place, no matter how it comes about) and the sleeping spell is lifted. The undead knights are still there, still prowling for those who are awake, but Morgause wakes and all but flies to the physician’s chambers.

“Morgana,” she says, falling to her knees beside her sister’s fallen form, “sister, what have you done?”

‘ _I know what you’ve done_ ,’ Morgana speaks into the other’s mind, determinedly ignoring how her body fails her. ‘ _Lift the spell, Morgause. I refuse to be part of this_.’

She does, in an instant, and it is then and only then that she sees the bottle of hemlock. Morgana lives, only through the combined efforts of Morgause and Gaius, who is loathe to allow the sorceress assist him, but he is feeling rather off balance still and finds that he must. After it is certain Morgana will survive, Morgause flees.

(It ends with a tired and recovering Morgana sitting in a chair near Merlin’s bed in his room after the castle has retired for the night. Merlin wakes and the two young magic users talk quietly, hesitantly. All will be well.)

**Author's Note:**

> For once, I would like to finish a fic without my brain going "that's a nice ending, but what if we did [insert completely different ending] instead."


End file.
